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The Weekly Editorial: Is anyone really excited about Survivor Series?

The Wyatt Family are heading to Survivor Series – Source: World Wrestling Entertainment

Please note: This editorial was written before this week’s episode of Monday Night Raw. However, anticipation for the event hasn’t really grown since then, so most/all of this probably still applies.

Thanks for checking out The Real Mid Card and this week I will be ranting about WWE’s upcoming offering Survivor Series. Rather than waste anybody’s time, I’d rather get straight down to it. They are putting out far too many overpriced pay-per-views. I know I’m fickle. A few months ago I was astonished at the run of great shows they were putting on, but things change fast in the wrestling business. I’m almost happy to shell out my hard earned cash every month to get returns like I did with Money in the Bank, Extreme Rules and even Payback. What I don’t want to see is a watered down card do further damage to an already ailing name: Survivor Series.

It’s the second oldest pay-per-view on the calendar. Alongside Wrestlemania, Summerslam and the Royal Rumble, it’s supposed to be a big deal – somebody has clearly forgotten to tell creative that. The show has been annually declining now for several years, and is in danger of slipping out of the “Big Four” to be replaced by the usually over-achieving Money in the Bank. The three “main event” matches that are announced for this year’s November event so far really don’t seem capable of turning that around. I expect them to exacerbate the trend actually.

John Cena versus Alberto Del Rio was boring two years ago. Big Show and Orton, really? That’s how we kick Daniel Bryan back to the mid card? And don’t get me started on his place, alongside CM Punk against The Wyatt Family. It’s worth mentioning that the guy who cuts all the promos, the one who’s name you can actually remember, won’t be inside the ropes. I have nothing against Harper and whatshisface. They do a good job in there. I just can’t believe that WWE haven’t even gone with a traditional elimination match. This is a standard tag, which honestly holds no importance. A really disappointing line-up so far.

If those are the matches that are supposed to convince us to spend our money, I shudder to think what the rest of the card will consist of. They better get to work on building those mid-card matches up, and actually making the main events seem watchable. At the moment, it’s just a total borefest. The booking up to now hasn’t really done the show any favours. The direction for the Wyatts has been generic and predictable. The whole “Cena’s hurt his arm” thing won’t hold attention for much longer. The fact that Big Show is competing for the WWE Championship again, instead of kicking the shit out of Triple H inside a steel cage is just baffling. Vince McMahon recently described Summerslam as a “swing and a miss” – I dare not even imagine what he will make of Survivor Series.

I am seriously considering boycotting the pay-per-view in protest, but I won’t, because I’m too “hardcore” for that. I have the bug, and I doubt I will escape until things really start to go downhill TNA style. I’m sure they can salvage something decent from this, but it will take a lot of work. From a show that used to sell itself with tradition, history and grandeur to an afterthought that looks set to under-perform again. It’s a worrying trend for a fan who used to love those big traditional multi-man matches, and great tournaments, but I guess at the end of the day, WWE will do whatever they want. That’s the bottom line.